Legendary Academy
by shimloo
Summary: A school that teaches young trainers how to be the best, like no one ever was. Every trainers dream right? Follow Ash Ketchum's rise through the prestigious Legendary Academy as he rises to the top, from rookie to champion. AdvancedShipping
1. Ash Ketchum! Rookie Trainer!

**First of all, this has been done for like two weeks now. It was a serious pain not being able to get this up. :(**

**Hopefully everything will be cool and smooth now. :)**

**Hello all, I'm Shimloo. If you're reading this then you've decided to check out my story, which is cool.**

**I've spent like three years of my free time coming on this site, and after picking up some writing tips from some awesome stories both in the Pokémon series on this site, and other series as well…I've decided to write my own story.**

**I've taken just about two weeks to brainstorm and plan out the plot, and it's pretty much all in my head. So now it's time to put it all on paper.**

**First off, before we begin, I'll explain what you should expect from this story.**

**So…here goes.**

**This story takes place in the world of Pokémon of course! It will take place as if the first four generations were discovered. I haven't gotten enough knowledge about generation five to be confident enough to add that in.**

**In this version of the Pokémon world, Trainers receive their first Pokémon at the age of thirteen. From there they are sent to the "Legendary Academy" for five years of training and classes. While at the academy they learn to become the world's greatest Pokémon trainers. After their time of learning, they return to the outside world, where their own journeys will continue on.**

**That's the basic layout.**

**One last not before I begin, this story is going to feature a small Ash harem. Probably going to go with the main pairing as AdvanceShipping, with a side of one sided PokéShipping and PearlShipping.**

**I know most people won't read this note anyway -_- but whatever. Let's get this story started, since the first chapter is always the hardest to write.**

**So without further interruption…**

**Shimloo proudly presents…**

**Legendary Academy**

**I do not own the Pokémon franchise, the characters and locations in this story are the property of Nintendo. This storyline however is my own!**

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – June 1****st**

The peaceful Pallet Town is not a destination for many travellers in the world of Pokémon. In fact, because of it's out of the way location, and its lack of a Pokémon Center, Pallet's population is mostly restricted to its residents.

Ash Ketchum is a resident of Pallet Town; he lives with his mother, Delia Ketchum, in a modest sized two story home near the edge of town.

Ash's thirteenth birthday was just a few days ago, the moment that all pre-teens of the Pokémon world wait for.

At the age of thirteen, you are eligible to become a student at the Legendary Academy. The academy is the destination for all young trainers in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh regions.

Every teen was ecstatic when they were given their first Pokémon and allowed to travel to the world's most prestigious Academy for Pokémon trainers.

Why?

No parents and no going to school from home. The academy is located in a gigantic archipelago unlike any in the world. Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and even Sinnoh could be found living in this island chain.

This made it the perfect location for the school, since students could build up their teams from a large array of different Pokémon, but it also makes it necessary for dormitories to be located on campus.

Anyway, back to Ash.

Of course Ash was excited, it was the beginning of summer and he would be able to pick a partner that would be with him for the rest of his trainer career. From there, he would be able to travel to Vermillion City, where the boat from the academy was docked for the Kanto region.

It was also the location for the Kanto regions Legendary Academy Application Center. This is where all accepted students from the Kanto Region must be located come September 1, the date in which the ship will leave port and set sail for the Legendary Academies archipelago.

Ash's other feeling, besides his excitement, was his nervousness. In just seven days, he would have to pick his partner from Pallet Town's resident Pokémon Lab, along with the other new Pokémon trainers who had turned thirteen this year.

The Fire-Type, Charmander.

The Water-Type, Squirtle.

And finally, the Grass-Type, Bulbasaur.

One of these three would be with Ash for the rest of his Pokémon training career.

And quite frankly, Ash was freaking out.

He lay on his bed, in his room on the second story of his house, with his eyes shut. He rested his head on his arms as he lay on his back, facing the ceiling.

His skin was a tan shade. He had an athletic build to his body. His hair was a raven-like black, and was strewn about everywhere. His spikey bangs covered his dark colored eyes as he lay deep in thought.

'_This is seriously freaking me out, did Gary have such an easy time picking…? Guess we'll see what he chose in a weeks' time.'_

His face changed from a light frown to a more relaxed look.

'_Eh, I've got all week to think. I'll be able to pick one no problem by the time I have to pick!'_

His thoughts were interrupted by three light knocks on his door.

"Come in!" He called.

The door opened to reveal a young woman with brown hair that was pulled into a pony tail. She had a slim figure and her light brown eyes showed a cheerful expression through them.

"Ash! Time for dinner! Bring your forms you were supposed to sign for school too!"

Ash smiled at his mother.

"Be right down mom."

Ash's mother gave a nod, and lightly shut the door.

Ash sighed as he picked himself off of his bed. He walked across the room over to his PC desk, and gathered his school forms.

He left his room and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. His mother and her companion, the Pokémon Mr. Mime, were busy fixing dinner.

Mr. Mime was a humanoid looking Pokémon; it had a round white body, with red spheres connecting its arms and legs to the main body. It had a round, pink head, with rosy colored cheeks, a cheerful expression, and blue frizzy hair shooting out of the left and right side of its round head.

"Mime!" it called over its shoulder to Ash.

"Hey Mr. Mime!"

Mr. Mime gave Ash a smile and then returned to its dinner duties.

Ash was about to ask his mom if she needed any help when a loud knocking was heard from the front door.

"Ash honey, can you answer the door please?" his mother asked sweetly.

"Sure."

Ash walked to the front door, opened it and smiled.

In the doorway stood a tall middle aged man, his slightly wrinkled face held a smile as he had his eyes lightly closed. He had short, light grey hair sitting atop his head, and a large white lab coat over a red dress shirt, he wore a pair of light brown slacks, complimented by the dark brown loafers he wore.

This man was Professor Oak, the world renowned Professor on human and Pokémon interaction.

"Hey professor, what brings you here?"

Oak opened his eyes, and stared at Ash.

"I just wanted to make sure you had the school papers filled out. Gary filled his out earlier this week."

Ash gave the professor a thumbs up.

"Yeah, I'm all set, come on in, mom's about to fix dinner. Come say hi."

Professor Oak began to shake his head just as Ash's mom appeared behind Ash.

"Samuel! Come on in, we've got plenty of spare food."

Professor Oak was about to politely decline, as he and his grandson Gary had already eaten, but he knew that Delia was a stubborn woman.

"I'll just visit for a few minutes, and then I really need to get back home."

Delia just gave a small smile, nodded, and then made her way back into the kitchen, with Ash and the professor right behind her.

As the three humans (and one Pokémon) sat down at the table, and began to eat, Professor Oak began to look over all of Ash's papers for school.

He gave a nod and looked to Ash.

"This all looks good, have you gotten your application test back yet?"

Ash's face fell.

"I kind of bombed it…"

Ash's mother shook her head.

"I told you over and over before you took it that you should have studied." She lightly chided.

Ash's head shot up and he frowned at his mom.

"Mom! I'm a battler! It's not a big deal if I don't know about what types of climates have which effects on evolution. I'm going to this school to learn to become a league champion!"

"Pokémon training is more than just battles Ash, you need to understand your Pokémon in order to even get close to the league. Academics will help with that." Oak cut in.

Delia gave the man a grateful look.

"Thank you Samuel."

Professor Oak gave the woman a nod, and turned his attention back to Ash.

"With average academic grades and moderate battling skill, you're likely to be placed in Raikou Yellow."

Ash looked at the professor questioningly.

"What is that? Some kind of advanced program?"

Oak shook his head and smiled.

"No. The student body of the academy is made up of three different groups. They are Entei Red, Raikou Yellow and Suicune Blue. Each has their own head professor and dormitory."

The professor raised his index finger.

He tapped his index finger.

"Raikou Yellow is the biggest part of the student body, its where all the moderately skilled trainers are sorted when they enter the school."

The professor raised his middle finger, so he was now doing a peace sign.

He tapped his middle finger.

"Suicune Blue is the smallest group in the academy; this is where all of the elite trainers and high scoring academic students are placed. This is the group that many league champions graduate out of."

The professor raised his ring finger, so he had his index, middle and ring finger up.

He tapped his ring finger.

"Finally there's Entei Red, this is where the low scoring, low skill students are sorted. Many of these students are slackers, and typically looked down upon, but they're a good group, and sometimes a hidden gem slips through."

"Together these three parts of the student body make up the academy."

Ash nodded in understanding.

Ash's mother took the empty plates off of the table and over to the sink. She looked over her shoulder at Professor Oak.

"Speaking of the academy, how's the summer paperwork been Samuel? When do you have to go back?"

Professor Oak frowned at the woman.

"I wanted to vacation this summer in the Orange Islands, but all of this work has kept me from nearly any free time! Tests, averages, final grading…it's all too much. I need to be in Vermillion around two weeks before the student deadline."

Ash smiled and shook his head at the professor.

"Volunteering yourself as the human and Pokémon interaction teacher must be tough a real pain, huh professor?"

Oak shook his head.

"Sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I like my job at the academy, and I enjoy being the head professor of Entei Red. It's nice having the students look up to you."

Oak stood up from his chair and looked at Ash.

"I better get going. Gary will wonder where I am if I stay out too late. Thank you for the hospitality Delia!"

Ash's mom looked over her shoulder and waved.

"Anytime Samuel! Have a nice night!"

Professor Oak nodded and waved, and made his way to the door with Ash behind him. The professor opened the door and turned around to face Ash.

"Have you decided which starter you want? The big day is coming up."

Ash frowned and shook his head.

"It's been driving me crazy. I just can't decide."

Oak smiled at the boy.

"You've still got a week, think it over. You're in no hurry. Well, good night Ash, see you in a week. Remember to be at the lab at 7:00 AM."

"Yeah, I will. Bye professor."

Oak made his way down the road, and disappeared into the night. Ash shut the door, and after thanking his mom for dinner, he went up to his room and went to bed, all the while thinking about his future partner, until he finally drifted off to sleep.

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Six days later – June 7****th**

The next week passed by quickly, and Ash had filled the next six days with his thoughts of his future partner and the academy. He wondered what things would be like away from home.

His days were filled with going into town to get his mother groceries, and doing various errands for his mom and Professor Oak. Because of his work with the professor however, he had to endure the constant remarks and comments of Gary Oak, the professor's grandson.

Gary was a slim boy, with spikey brown hair and devious green eyes. His mouth seemed to be pulled into a constant smirk.

Ash and Gary were close friends when they were younger, before Gary became arrogant. It seemed like any other day when Ash went to the lab to bring Gary outside. He found his best friend with a pamphlet when he made his way into his friend's room.

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Six years ago**

Ash ran into Gary's room excitedly, and came to a halt when he noticed his best friend sitting on the floor next to his bed. Gary had his focus on the paper in his hands and paid Ash no mind.

Ash frowned at his friend, walked over and looked down at the paper.

"What's that thing Gary? Something for your grandpa?"

Gary looked up at Ash, and then focused his attention back to the paper.

He shook his head.

"Nah, it's an ad for a Pokémon training school."

Ash's face contorted into a small frown as he looked at his friend.

"But Gary! We're only seven! We have years and years before we have to think about Pokémon battles or training. Come on, let's go outside!"

Gary stood up from his place on the floor and glared at Ash.

"You know Ash, you never think about anything besides fun. This school is going to teach us everything we'll need for when we're grown up. You're just being stupid like usual. Anyway grandpa said I can follow him around today so I can start to learn about Pokémon for when it's time for school."

Ash's head fell at his friend's cruel choice of words, but he shook it off and looked at his best friend with a smile.

"Can I hang out with you and your grandpa too?"

Gary snorted.

"Why? so you can try and be better than me? Not happening. Go home and find your own info. I'm going to use everything I've got to be the best, and rise to the top! I don't have time to hang out with a loser like you anymore. I'm going to be a Pokémon champ!"

Ash had a sad look on his face as he made his way out of the lab, and back to his house. When he was asked by his mother if anything was wrong, he just gave her a small smile and assured he was okay.

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Present day**

Ever since that day, Ash's active attitude slowly started to fade away day by day. With no one to play with his childhood ended early. He was a calm, collected boy, who knew that his actions would speak louder than words in this world. He never lost his cool when he was insulted by Gary; instead he ignored his ex-friend and decided they would settle their rivalry one day at the academy.

Ash was always respectful to his elders. This included his mother, the professor, and the residents of Pallet Town. He figured if he could learn something from people who had experienced it before, then he should take that chance by being as polite and open minded as possible.

The night before Ash would pick his partner from the lab was filled with the poor boy tossing and turning in his bed, his thoughts filled with which Pokémon to choose.

'_Charmander would be a good choice, but having a Fire-Type opens up a lot of room for weakness during battles. I've also heard Charizard's need to have a lot of respect for their trainer to train them properly.'_

Ash sighed as he turned over onto his side.

'_I'm really not comfortable with taking a Bulbasaur. Sure he'll evolve quicker than the other two, but Grass-Types really don't seem like my thing…'_

Ash groaned as he looked at his ceiling.

'_The more I think about Squirtle, the more convinced I become that I should take one as my starter. Squirtle's have a way better defense because of their shells, and a Water-Type has way less weaknesses than a Fire-Type or a Grass-Type.' _

Ash looked over at his alarm clock on his bedside table. It read 2:45 AM.

'_Wow, nearly 3:00 AM already? I've got to be up early if I want to beat the crowd at the lab. Better get to sleep.'_

Ash yawned as he finally closed his eyes.

'_Eh, I'll come to a decision tomorrow morning.'_

He slowly drifted off to sleep; all the while not realizing that his alarm clock was not set for the correct time of 6:00 AM, the scheduled time for his starter pickup would be an hour later, at 7:00 AM.

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Six hours later**

It was nearly 9:00 AM, and Ash was still fast asleep in his bed, unaware of the fact that he was nearly two hours late for his meeting at the Pokémon Lab.

His bedroom door shot open as his mother burst into the room in her pajamas, looking with wide eyes at her sleeping son.

"Ash! Get out of bed right now!"

Ash's eyes shot open as he looked wide eyed at his mom. He shot out of his bed and looked frantically at his alarm clock.

"No way that can be the time, how the hell did this happen?"

Delia glared at her son, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Watch your language young m- hey! Pay attention to me!"

Ash couldn't be bothered as he made his way frantically around the room, grabbing random articles of clothing.

"This isn't happening, this can't be happening!"

Delia narrowed her eyes at her son.

"…You slept in didn't you?"

She got a quick "Yes!" as Ash dashed out of the room, down the stairs and out of the house.

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Ten minutes later**

Ash was in full sprint the whole way to the lab.

He made his way up the path to the front door and burst in, seeing the lab empty, save for the professor who was now looking at him with his head cocked to the side.

"Ash! Why are you so late? We discussed this a week ago before I left your house. I told you to be here at 7:00 AM sharp."

Ash glared at the professor and gritted his teeth.

"You think I came here late on PURPOSE? You know how excited I was to receive my first Pokémon! I forgot to set my alarm clock last night before I went to bed; I'm only up now because of my mom bursting into my room."

Oak nodded in understanding, and then gave Ash a sad look.

"I don't know what to tell you Ash, all of the new trainers came already to pick up their Pokémon. I don't have any starters left to give out."

"No Charmanders?"

"No."

"No Squirtles?"

"No."

Ash gave a sigh, and looked at the professor once more.

"…No Bulbasaurs?"

Oak shook his head and looked at the raven haired boy.

"I'm sorry Ash, I don't have anything reasonable left."

Ash glared at the professor.

"Then give me something unreasonable! You know how much this meant to me professor, please!"

The professor put a hand to his chin and seemed to debate it for a moment, before turning back to Ash.

"Well, I do have one Pokémon I could give you, but he's given me no end of problems with his bad attitude."

Ash perked up immediately.

"I'll take him! Please professor, I need to go to the academy this year! I can't start late!"

The professor smiled at Ash, and motioned for him to follow.

The pair made their way to the other side of the lab, over to a corner in the main research room in the lab.

It was here that a large circular machine was set up. Shaped like a cylinder, it rose from the floor to the roof, and after four feet of buttons, lights, and metal, it was all glass.

In the center sat a lone Poké Ball. From a few feet away it looked like just a normal ball used to contain Pokémon for easy travel, but up close Ash noticed the lightning bolt emblem attached slightly above the balls main button used for preparing the Poké Ball for use.

The professor pressed a series of buttons on the machines console, and the glass surrounding the Poké Ball slowly rose into the roof of the lab.

Without warning, a bright light erupted around the ball, and dazed Ash. He used his arms to cover his eyes from the flash of light, and when he put his arms back down to his sides, he saw his partner to be.

In front of him stood a short, chubby, yellow rodent. On its head sat two long ears with black tips, its face had two large red cheeks that seemed to be generating electricity. Its tail resembled a lightning bolt, and its small black eyes looked around the lab boringly.

Professor Oak smiled as he looked from the small rodent to Ash.

"Ash this is Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon."

Ash smiled and knelt down to inspect his new partner.

"Hey there Pikachu. My names Ash, and I'm going to be your partner from now on."

Pikachu made eye contact with Ash for only a moment, then snorted and turned his gaze elsewhere.

Ash merely smiled at the rude little Pokémon, and patted him on the head.

"An attitude eh? Well, I'm sure we'll be good friends in-"

Zap.

Ash was unable to finish his sentence before Pikachu shocked his new trainer for invading his personal space. Ash doubled over in pain from the electrical shock and glared at the little mouse, who now had a smirk on his little face.

Professor Oak sighed.

"Now do you see what I mean Ash? This little Pikachu is the strongest I've ever seen. He has the most electric power I've ever seen out of any Electric-Type I've ever come across."

Pikachu stood proudly at the professor's words of appraisal.

"But he has such a cocky attitude! It's ridiculous. Anything you do won't get through his thick little head!"

Pikachu glared at the professor, before returning to looking around at the lab.

Ash shook his head at the proud little Pokémon, before turning and giving the professor a small smile.

"I don't care. He's the only chance I've got, I believe in him. I'm sure one day we'll learn to be good friends."

Pikachu scoffed at Ash, and sat down on the floor.

Professor Oak nodded at the teenager, and picked up Pikachu's Poké Ball. He pointed it at the small yellow rodent, and beamed the little mouse back into his ball, then handed the ball to Ash.

"He's your partner now Ash, good luck."

Another flash of light erupted from the ball in Ash's hands, and when it cleared, Pikachu stood outside of his ball, on the floor once more, looking angrily around the lab.

He set his sights on Professor Oak, and gave the middle aged man a mild electric shock.

The professor grunted at the shock, but he had grown accustomed to being shocked by the little yellow mouse by now. He looked down at the little mouse and glared.

"Well, seems Pikachu doesn't want to be kept in a Poké Ball any longer. It's your call Ash, I can have a Poké Ball modified so that it can only be activated for release from the outside, and he shouldn't give you any trouble after that."

Ash looked down at the Pikachu, who was presently glaring at the professor in annoyance. He looked back at the professor and lightly shook his head.

"Nah, If he doesn't want to go back into the ball then I won't force him. Come on Pikachu, let's go home. Later Professor, and thanks again."

Pikachu's eyes widened at Ash, he never knew of a human to offer a Pokémon freedom from its Poké Ball. The little rodent slowly followed Ash out of the lab, and down the road, keeping a safe distance between himself and the trainer.

Professor Oak smiled at the sight.

"If those two learn to work together, they'll become a force to be reckoned with."

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Twelve hours later**

It was now 9:00 PM, and Ash's day and evening had been uneventful. He brought his new partner home, where the pair was greeted by Ash's mom. Delia made her way over to Pikachu to hug the small Pokémon, but Ash had warned her about Pikachu's "people skills". Ash had spent the morning showing Pikachu his room. When the little Pokémon made it apparent that he had no interest in seeing Ash's room, the trainer just shook his head and motioned for Pikachu to follow him downstairs for lunch.

Pikachu's stubbornness kept into lunch as well. When Ash offered the little Pokémon some food, Pikachu just turned his head away from the offering and made his way over to the corner of the dining room, where he would continue his bored gazing around the room.

The rest of the day went the same way for the most part. Pikachu continued ignoring Ash, and Ash just eventually went about his day as if the Pokémon wasn't there.

Whenever Ash would pass Pikachu in the house, the little mouse would snap his attention towards the trainer and give him a light glare.

Ash would just give a small smile down to the Pokémon.

"Don't worry; I'm not here to bother you."

This happened three or four times throughout the day until finally Pikachu just had a look of indifference while the trainer would pass.

Mr. Mime and Delia had both tried to greet the little mouse as well, but whenever they approached him, he would move to another location in the house.

Dinner went the same as lunch, with Pikachu ignoring the offering of food Ash would give him. This time however, Ash made slight urging at the Pokémon to eat.

"Come on Pikachu, You've got to be hungry. You haven't had anything all day."

Pikachu just turned its head away from the food and strode away.

"Pika, Pikachu." (Don't need it.)

Delia frowned at the little mouse and turned to her son.

"Why does such an adorable little Pokémon have such a horrible attitude?"

Ash just shook his head and looked at his mother.

"He's just proud. He'll come around."

Two hours had gone by and Ash hadn't had one sighting of his new partner, which brings us to the current time of 9:00 PM.

Ash found Pikachu on the roof outside of the trainer's bedroom window. The little yellow Pokémon was sitting on the roof looking peacefully at the summer night sky.

Ash smiled as he made his way over to the window to greet his partner.

A tap on the window disturbed Pikachu from his peaceful sky staring, and the little Electric-Type turned immediately at the sound with his cheeks generating electricity.

He calmed down a bit when he saw Ash smiling on the other side, which turned to a bored look as the trainer opened the window to talk with the little mouse.

"Hey. I'm going to be headed to sleep in a few minutes. You're more than welcome to sleep on the bed with me."

Pikachu just shook its little head at the trainer.

Ash frowned at the little Pokémon's pride.

"Alright, but I'll leave the window open, you just come in whenever you feel tired. And you can still come up on to the bed if you'd like."

Pikachu turned back to the sky as Ash went back to getting ready for sleep.

Within fifteen minutes the black haired trainer was asleep.

Pikachu turned and looked onto the bed at the kind trainer, and then shook its head.

"Pika, pi pi, Pikachu." (This guy is too nice for his own good.)

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Five days later – June 12****th**

The rest of the week went the same, Pikachu ignoring Ash's offerings of food for the most part, although now he would take a bit of the food that was offered to him.

He continued to ignore Ash's tries at friendship, and ignored his attempts at trying to get Pikachu to train and exercise with him.

The nights went the same, Pikachu slept on the roof, despite each night Ash trying to get him to sleep inside.

However, Ash noticed something out of the ordinary, his partner started to gradually show less and less energy, until finally, at our current day, Pikachu just sat slouched on the floor of Ash's room with a tired look on his face.

Ash picked the little mouse up with no struggle or shocks (another abnormality) and took his little partner down to his mother, who was currently in the kitchen fixing lunch.

She turned around as she heard Ash enter the room, and smiled.

"Oh honey! He's finally warming up to you."

Ash's grim look told his mother all she needed to know, she hurried over to her son and his partner.

"What's wrong with him?"

Ash shook his head and looked down at his little yellow partner.

"I'm not sure…he's been like this all day. He's just been sitting on the floor of my room."

Ash's mother took the little Pokémon in her arms and inspected him closely.

She looked back at her son, who now had a worried frown etched across his face.

"He's got a fever. Take him to Professor Oak and have him take a look at him."

Ash nodded, and made his way out of the front of the house with his partner in his arms.

Pikachu just sat tiredly in his trainers arms.

"Pikaaa…" (Just my luck…)

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Three hours later**

The professor didn't take long to come up with a diagnosis. Pikachu had a condition known as Electrifitis, a condition very common to young Electric-Type Pokémon.

When a young Electric-Type was getting close to maturity, the electric currents in their body would go haywire throughout the muscles of the Pokémon; this causes exhaustion for the Pokémon being affected.

The condition allows the Pokémon to bolster their electrical energies, and reach the power level of an adult Electric-Type.

The professor also went on to explain that this condition lasted for give or take a week, and that Pikachu could be expected to be weak for the next four to five days.

After the checkup, Ash took Pikachu home and up to his room, where he laid the little yellow mouse down onto his own bed, and pulled the covers up to the Pokémon's neck.

"You just relax in the bed for the next few days while this thing goes through you, okay buddy? Just hang out here and relax, I'm going to get us something to eat downstairs."

With that, Ash patted Pikachu's head and left the room.

Pikachu had a hardly noticeable smile on his tired face as he watched the raven haired trainer go.

A few minutes later Ash came back with some Pokémon food and a sandwich for himself.

A small smile made its way across his face as he stared at the little guest in his bed, sleeping contently with a small smile on his face.

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Two days later – June 14****th**

For the next two days Ash took care of his exhausted yellow companion, who was bedridden the entire time.

Pikachu didn't struggle or fuss with Ash's attempts to feed him anymore, he took the food and ate quietly on the bed.

Ash had been sleeping on the floor next to his bed during the nights. He didn't want to make Pikachu uncomfortable during such a tough difficult time for the young Pokémon.

It was nearly 10:00 PM, and Ash was getting his sleeping bag set up on the floor for the night.

Pikachu sat at the foot of the bed watching as the raven haired teen fixed his makeshift bed up on the floor.

"Pi." (Yo.)

Ash turned around and looked at his partner.

"What is it Pikachu?"

Pikachu patted his paw on the bed and gave Ash a small grin.

"Pika, chu chu." (Sleep up here tonight.)

Ash's eyes widened slightly at Pikachu's attitude.

"A-are you sure Pikachu? I know you aren't a big fan of me."

Pikachu smirked at the raven haired teen.

"Pika, pikachu, pi pi, Pika-pi." (I'm not going soft on you. Come on up, it's your bed.)

Ash grinned at the little yellow mouse and crawled on to the bed, getting under the covers while Pikachu made his way to the foot of the bed and lay down.

Pikachu picked him head up and looked up the bed to Ash.

"Pi…Pika-pi?" (Hey…Ash?)

Ash gave a yawn.

"Yeah Pikachu?"

"Pika, pikachu." (Thanks, for everything.)

Ash gave Pikachu a pat on the head, and lay back down under his covers.

"You're welcome buddy."

And with that, the two had the start of a friendship that would build into the closest friendship either had ever shared, they both held small smiles as they drifted off to sleep.

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – Two months later – August 14****th**

Two months had passed since Ash and Pikachu began to bond. It started slowly at first, with Pikachu merely saying small things to Ash. Ash found out that he could understand Pikachu perfectly, and when he questioned Professor Oak about this phenomenon, he learned that he most likely had the gift to become friend to any Pokémon, and understand their feelings.

Ash and Pikachu bonded more and more each day, and only a few days passed before they began to train in the forest on the outside of town.

It was here that Ash and Pikachu trained their minds and bodies to their limits.

Ash had started Pikachu off slow at first, and he took the first week to learn all of the moves Pikachu knew at his current stage.

Pikachu's techniques were limited to Quick Attack, ThunderShock, and Tackle.

Ash and Pikachu tested these moves out every day for the first week. After that, it was time to move on to the next phase of their training.

Now Ash and Pikachu had started psychical exercises together. Pikachu would train his speed, balance and strength by tree climbing, branch jumping, and doing laps around the training ground they cleared.

Ash would train my doing boulder lifting, and doing laps alongside Pikachu along the training ground.

He also took a day and went into town to buy some weights with his allowance for his bedroom.

This went on for a month, until finally they added a third part to their training.

It turns out that Professor Oak's hypothesis that Ash could befriend any Pokémon wasn't far off. Ash used this gift and befriended the local Pidgeotto and Butterfree to assist in Pikachu's training.

Ash would have Pikachu spar with the Pidgeotto so they could work on their battle experience and develop some basic strategies. Pikachu was pitted against Butterfree in order to boost his poison, sleep, and paralysis resistances.

This third part of their training continued for the next two weeks.

In our current time, we find the duo in the Ketchum house, lying down on Ash's bed after a hard day of training.

Ash yawned as he looked at his little yellow partner, who was currently massaging the ache out of his little paws.

"Well buddy, we've sure gotten stronger. I'll bet we've trained more in these two months than most trainers have in a year."

Pikachu turned his attention away from his paws and gave Ash a little smirk.

"Pika, pikachu, chu chu, pikachu." (We're going to wipe the floor with the competition at this school.)

Ash grinned at his partner's confidence as the door to his room opened to show his mother.

Delia looked at her son on the bed and smiled.

"Ash honey! Have you remembered to mail out your school forms? I want it done before you leave."

Ash nodded at his mother.

"I sent them out last week. Have you heard anything from the professor?"

Delia smiled at her son.

"He arrived at the Legendary Academy Application Center earlier today. He and Gary are staying in a nearby hotel, but he said the Application Center has plenty of rooms for when you and Pikachu arrive."

Ash grinned at his mom.

"Cool! I'm glad to hear he made it safely. I'm going to turn in now mom, I've got a busy day tomorrow."

A sad smile made its way across Delia's face.

"I can't believe my baby is going to be leaving me until next summer. Have you remembered to pack everything in your backpack?"

Ash smiled at his mother.

"Mom you know I'll visit on all of the holidays. And yes I've packed. I'm all set to leave in the morning."

Ash's mom walked over to the bed and tightly hugged her son as she began to tear up.

"I'm going to miss you so much honey."

Ash had a small sad smile on his face now.

"Mom quit it. You're going to make me cry too."

"I love you honey."

"I love you too mom."

Delia gave her son a good night kiss, (much to Ash's annoyance and Pikachu's amusement) and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Pikaaa…" (sooo…)

"Don't even start."

"Pikachu, pika pika, chu pi, pika pikachu?" (Were you always a momma's boy? Like before I was here too?)

Ash frowned at his snickering Pokémon.

"Oh shut up. I'm going to bed now."

"Pika, pikachu." (Night, momma's boy.)

"Ugh."

**Kanto Region – Pallet Town – The next morning – August 15****th**

The time was 6:00 AM. Ash and Pikachu stood outside the doorway of their home, ready to disembark on the journey to Vermillion City.

Ash's mom stood worriedly in the doorway, looking her son up and down.

"Now you're sure you've got everything…"

Ash groaned.

"Mom we've been over this for the past half hour! Yes I'm sure. I've got two whole weeks to travel to Vermillion, what could go wrong? I've got the money you've given me for travel supplies too."

Delia placed her hands on her hips and gave her son a cold glare.

"Don't get smart with me young man. Now, about your underwear…"

"It's packed! Besides, the academy provides the students with clothing and undergarments anyway."

Delia nodded at her son, and gave him one last hug before his journey, before turning to Pikachu and hugging the surprised little Pokémon as well.

"Alright honey, go get them!"

Ash grinned at his mom.

"You know it! Love you mom, tell Mimey I said bye!"

With their final goodbyes done, Ash and Pikachu walked down the path away from their home, and down the road out of Pallet Town.

Their goal?

Reach Vermillion City in approximately two weeks.

**Okay! So, how was that? Not bad for a first chapter eh? I know it took a while to get everything set up, and I apologize for that, but I'm trying to create my own universe here. I don't just want to build atop the normal one.**

**Also, do we like the calm and collected Ash? And do we like the overconfident and sarcastic Pikachu? I think it's something different so I kind of like it. Let me know what you think.**

**I'll have chapter two out relatively soon.**

**I'm currently looking for a beta reader as well; I don't make many mistakes, so it should be an easy job. Just get what I don't catch in my own proofread. I'd also like some small ideas on how I can make things better, small plot things, you know. Add some other spices into the meal.**

**As with any author, reviews will inspire me to write faster.**

**Have a good week everybody. Next chapter will be up soon.**


	2. Application Battle! A High Stakes Match!

**Hey everybody, and welcome back to chapter 2.**

**Thanks to you guys that reviewed, your positive feedback made me very happy.**

**So of course I had to thank you guys in my author's note!**

**Anyway, I really have nothing to say. People seem to think this story has a lot of potential.**

**What can I say? I'll try not to let you guys down.**

**Onward to chapter two**

**I do not own the Pokémon franchise, the characters and locations in this story are the property of Nintendo. This storyline however is my own!**

**Kanto Region – Vermillion City – September 1****st**

Vermillion City, a busy place known for its Pokémon Gym and bustling port, but today, it's known for something else across the entire region of Kanto. It was here, on this day that the young trainers across Kanto would gather for their trip to the Legendary Archipelago.

The first years waited around excited in the enormous Legendary Academy Application center. The students were gathered in a huge indoor stadium built for practice battles and training.

Second years chatted with their classmates as they waited for another exciting school year to begin.

It was well known by the time a student became a third year, they usually had powerful enough Pokémon to make their own way to the archipelago, so the academy allowed students of the years three and up to transport themselves to the academy.

The stadium was slowly filled as new students signed in and entered to take a seat in the stands.

Everyone chatted as the older school officials stood watch over the students in the giant area.

The various Kanto Region professors were chatting with each other as well, comparing notes and discoveries while sharing news about their summers.

One professor sat off on him one, a constant stern look ever present on his face as he sat hunched over with his hands folded over his chin.

He had slicked back black hair, light skin and an angular face. He had a pair of thin eyebrows pulled down close to his black eyes in a glaring manner as he looked around the large room.

'_I really hate kids…'_

This was Professor Giovanni, the professor of "technology and its use in the world of Pokémon".

Gary Oak sat quietly in one of the front row seats, his arms crossed and his face in a frown.

'_This is getting ridiculous. How longer are we gonna have to wait?'_

Professor Oak greeted his students and fellow professors, a bright smile ever present on his face.

The old professor looked to a nearby clock and saw the time read 2:00 PM.

A frown reached his face as he knew Ash hadn't signed in yet.

Only a half an hour remained until the students that had been gathered to the stadium would be brought to the school's ship to set sail to the archipelago.

Minutes passed, and more and more students filled the stadium. Last minute first years began to run in tiredly as the time became later and later.

Oak looked around anxiously as the flow of students into the stadium stopped, and all of the trainers found their seats in the stands.

Nearly every seat in the stadium was filled now as the teenagers all chatted amongst themselves.

An older man approached Oak. The man was bald with a thick white mustache and beard, with a cheerful expression on his face. This was the Application Administrator.

"Alright Samuel, I think it's about time to board the students. I don't want to run late."

Samuel looked worriedly at one of the clocks nearby and then at the older man.

"If you think so sir…"

'_Ash, where are you…?'_

The administrator nodded and motioned for one of the instruction officials to come over.

The official made his way over with a microphone in hand, and handed it over to the administrator.

The old man raised the microphone to his mouth.

"Hello students! I'd like for you all to take a moment and gather your things and follow the official nearest you to the docks, where you'll be boarding the ship for travel."

The administrator looked around the crowd of students.

"I'd also take a moment to offer welcome to our first years. For the next five years, the people beside you will be your family. Learn together, and grow together into strong trainers!"

The teens clapped and cheered at the administrators words.

"I'm sure you will all have a good year at school! Don't forget the lessons you learn while-"

The administrator stopped his speech as he looked towards the doorway of the stadium.

Walking directly towards him, Oak and the school application official was a black haired boy.

The first thing the eyes were drawn to was the Pikachu that rested on his shoulder.

The next was his unruly black hair that slightly covered his eyes.

He wore a black unzipped hoodie with blue jeans ripped from travel; on his hands were black finger-less gloves, and on his feet were a pair of black sneakers.

He slowly walked up to the three men in the middle of the stadium and raised his hand in greeting toward Professor Oak.

"Sorry I'm late professor. We took one too many training sessions I guess."

The administrator looked confusedly from the teen to the professor standing beside him.

"Do you know this young man Samuel?"

Oak smiled and nodded.

"This is Ash Ketchum; he's a first year from Pallet Town."

At this time, Giovanni made his way over to the group and glared at Professor Oak.

"Oak, are we ready to go here or not? I've been baby-sitting these kids for long enough. Who's the brat?"

Ash smirked at the rude man in front of him.

"I have a name. I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town."

Giovanni looked like he was about to respond when the administrator looked over to Ash.

"Good to meet you my boy! But you're a bit late to sign up. I take it you have finished all of your applications and tests?"

Ash nodded.

"Yes sir."

The administrator motioned for the application attendant to hand over a clip board.

"You said your last name is Ketchum…? Let's see, let's see…"

He went through page after page of the student roster until he apparently reached the K's.

A frown reached the old man's face as the others looked on.

"I'm sorry mister Ketchum, but your name isn't listed. Are you sure you filled out all of your papers?"

Ash frowned and gave another nod.

"Yes sir, Professor Oak can tell you-"

"Too bad kid, if you haven't applied, it's too late now, you're holding everybody up. Go home and you can attend next year."

Pikachu looked at the hostile man in front of him and narrowed his eyes.

Ash glared at the dark haired professor, and was about to speak until Oak interrupted.

"It's alright sir, I can vouch for Ash. He mailed all of his papers in much earlier than they were due."

Ash gave a light smirk.

The administrator smiled and nodded.

"It could just be a mix up with paperwork. I'll let you handle this Sam-"

"Wait a minute, so this kid comes in late to the sign in, and on top of that his name isn't on the list of students, and now we're just going to let him board with the other students?" Giovanni yelled to his peers.

Ash turned towards Giovanni.

"You know professor; you have a very big mouth. I suggest shutting it once in a while, or you're going to find yourself in trouble someday."

Giovanni's eyes widened at the teen.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT! You think you can talk to a school official like that? I demand some consequences be dealt at once!"

There was murmuring through the crowd as they heard the professor lose his cool.

The three other men were too busy snickering at the dark haired man's predicament.

Ash and Pikachu both had a similar smirk on their faces.

"Let's just shut you up the old fashioned way. I challenge you to a battle. If you win, I'll leave the application center. If I win, then you'll shut up and back off."

Oak stood in between the two opposing forces and looked at Ash with a frown.

"I don't think that's a good idea Ash, Professor Giovanni is held in high regard as an extremely skilled battler. He has years of experience on you and-"

Ash held up a hand.

"Professor, I'll beat him, and that's because of the simple fact that I need to."

Oak shook his head at the teen's thinking.

"This isn't a good idea Ash; you're going to get left behind if you do this."

Giovanni stepped in the way of Oak and smirked.

"I think it's a great idea. Let's see what the little loud mouth punk can do."

With that the professor made his way to one side of the battle field, while Ash walked off to the opposite end.

The administrator looked to both sides of the field and shrugged.

"Well I guess we have ourselves a match…"

He raised the microphone up to his face.

"Students, before we board you all to the ships, we have a special treat. One of your fellow students has challenged Professor Giovanni to a battle. If the professor wins, the student is to be left here, and will not be able to attend school. A high stakes battle indeed."

He looked from one side of the battlefield and then to the other.

"This will be a one on one match, in the green corner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, in the red is Professor Giovanni from Saffron City."

Gary's eyes widened as he looked over to the green corner.

'_The loser is finally here? And he's battling a professor? Oh man, this oughtta be good.'_

Gary smirked at his rival's predicament.

There was whispering throughout the crowd.

"How is a student going to go up against a professor?"

"This isn't going to be much of a battle…"

"I feel sorry for the kid."

The administrator looked over at Ash.

"Mister Ketchum, will you please release your Pokémon?"

Ash nodded to Pikachu, who hopped off of his trainer's shoulder and on to the field.

"Professor, will you send out your Pokémon as well?"

Giovanni smirked and unclasped a Poké Ball hidden in his coat, and clicked the balls button, preparing it for use.

He threw his ball out on to the field, and a bright light erupted from the ball.

When the light faded, a bulky purple humanoid creature stood glaring at Pikachu.

It was large, slightly taller than a full grown man. It was wide, with a large tail set between its legs. It had an angry face, with large white fangs protruding from its mouth, and a gigantic horn sitting atop its nose. Large spikes made their way down its back. It had huge ears, and two strong looking arms, both with three claws.

This was a Nidoking, and it did not look friendly.

The crowd was shocked as they looked at Giovanni's choice, wasn't this a battle against a _student_?

Towards the top of the stands, a pair of students sat watching the events play on the field.

One a boy, the other a girl.

The boy was tall, and dark skinned. He had brown spikey hair. His eyes were tiny horizontal slits.

The girl was a slim with light colored skin. She had orange hair with green eyes, and she kept her hair pulled to the side of her head, in a sort of side-tail.

"All this against a student? Professor Giovanni is getting worse with the kids as time goes on."

"Brock, you know he's a jerk. Last year was nearly unbearable, and we've still got four more to go! I just feel sorry for the poor kid and his little Pikachu."

"Still Misty, all this to keep one guy out of school."

Down towards the field, Gary sat smirking with his arms folded.

'_So Ash got a Pikachu from gramps huh? That little rat is gonna get creamed.'_

Oak just stood on the sidelines, next to the administrator.

'_I hope Ash knows what he's doing. Giovanni isn't to be taken lightly…'_

The administrator looked to both sides of the field and raised his hands simultaneously.

"Trainers…BEGIN!"

And the arms flew down.

Giovanni smirked at Nidoking.

"Nidoking, use Focus Energy, then close in and follow up with Double Kick."

Nidoking began to flex its muscles and grunt.

Ash looked to Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Toss a ThunderShock at Nidoking while he's powering up!"

Pikachu nodded and sent a bolt of electricity at the purple Pokémon, only to have the Nidoking shake it off and Giovanni laugh.

"Stupid kid! Nidoking is half Ground-Type, it's immune to Electric-Type moves!"

Ash frowned as the Nidoking began its charge at Pikachu.

"Use a continuous Double Team, and alternate out of it to do Quick Attack while Nidoking is confused!"

Pikachu began to use its incredible speed to run circles around its opponent. Soon, mirror images of the little mouse surrounded Nidoking, confusing the horned Pokémon.

Pikachu smirked at its opponent's confusion, and then launched its first Quick Attack, making a successful hit on the purple beast.

The crowd was shocked at the realization that a student's Pokémon dealt the first blow to a professor's.

And on top of that, Pikachu had the type disadvantage!

Pikachu landed about four Quick Attacks before Giovanni glared at the little mouse.

"Nidoking, Thrash as the little rat comes in for an attack!"

Nidoking roared as Pikachu sprinted its way towards the horned Pokémon.

As Pikachu closed in, Nidoking began to thrash its body out in all directions. Pikachu was smashed on its side by Nidoking's claws, and was thrown back by the powerful blow.

"Pikaaaa!" (Ughhh!)

Pikachu landed around ten feet away from its opponent, and immediately was back on its feet glaring at Nidoking.

Ash sighed in relief.

"You still good?"

Pikachu looked back at its trainer and nodded.

Nidoking was a bit fatigued by the mouse's assault, by glared at its opponent nonetheless.

The crowd was filled with murmurs as they watched the surprisingly interesting match.

"Um, wasn't this supposed to be one sided?"

"This kid is crazy! How did he land the first blow on a professor?"

Gary sat with his arms crossed and a mild look of surprise as he looked over at Ash's side.

'_Ketchum is actually…decent?'_

Professor Oak sat quietly next to the administrator as they both sat watching the match.

Both had a look of surprise on their faces.

Back on the battlefield, Giovanni decided to start round two of the battle.

"Nidoking! Don't let that little rodent get any distance from you, close in and hammer it with Peck!"

Nidoking started its next attack.

Ash smirked as a strategy began to form.

"Pikachu, Agility! Full speed and convert it into a Headbutt! Aim for Nidoking's stomach!"

Pikachu disappeared from its spot and a yellow blur shot made its way over to Nidoking, who was currently steadily charging towards the area Pikachu was last seen in.

Pikachu smirked as it converted Agility into Headbutt, and slammed its head into Nidoking's vulnerable underside.

Nidoking let out a roar of pain as the critical hit flowed pain throughout its body.

The horned Pokémon flew backwards from the impact of the blow and landed on its back.

Pikachu was thrown back, its head numb from the force of impact on the top of its head.

On two separate sides of the field, both Pokémon lay on their backs, unmoving.

Giovanni glared at Ash, and then moved his gaze to his own Pokémon.

"Nidoking! Get up immediately; don't let such a weak creature beat you!"

Ash looked to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, you can do this! I believe in you!"

Both Pokémon slowly rose as the crowd watched on silently.

Pikachu and Nidoking glared at each other from across the field and panted tiredly.

With both of their Pokémon exhausted, the two trainers decided to put their Pokémon's full power into one final attack.

"Pikachu, we're going to go for it all. I want you to use Agility, and then turn it into a Slam, don't hold anything back. I want you to use full strength and full speed."

Giovanni glared at his opponent.

"Nidoking, use Megahorn, full power. Crush that little yellow runt beneath your horn."

Nidoking began to charge at Pikachu, its attack power increasing with each step it took.

Its ability, Rivalry, had activated.

Pikachu flinched back for a moment as it saw Nidoking gain a massive amount of momentum as it ran, a purple aura surrounding the Drill Pokémon.

Pikachu clenched its teeth as it unleashed every ounce of power it had left and started Agility.

It sprinted at Nidoking on all fours, and then as it neared the purple Pokémon it jumped into the air and threw all of its weight into its shoulder to prepare its attack. An extremely bright yellow aura covered Pikachu as it released all of its energy

The two attacks collided with each other, and it seemed obvious that Nidoking's superior size would help it come out on top, but this was not the case.

The attacks were evenly matched, and Pikachu ground its shoulder into the base of Nidoking's horn. This gained it dominance in the battle of wills.

Nidoking panted as it steadied its feet against Pikachu's onslaught.

Both Pokémon poured their full power into their attacks, and were evenly matched in strength. Neither would give in to the other, they pushed against each other with all of their might.

Nidoking began to lose his stamina as an unfamiliar shock went through its body. The electric current spread through its arms and legs as the gigantic beast lost the power to fight.

Pikachu's Static ability had finally struck.

Pikachu used the moment to gain the upper hand, taking its shoulder and slamming it into the Nidoking's face with all of the power it had left.

This time Nidoking fell back, and did not get up.

Pikachu stood glaring at its fallen opponent, panting heavily as exhaustion began to take its toll.

Giovanni stood wide eyed at the realization that he lost the battle against a first year student. No rude comment made its way out of his mouth; he just stood with his eyes and mouth wide.

Ash grinned as he made his way out on to the battlefield to pick up his partner.

The entire room was silent.

And then, slowly at first, students began to stand up and clap for the incredible victory that a first year had pulled off.

The administrator blinked and was knocked out of his stupor as he slowly raised the microphone to his face.

"W-well there you have it students! Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is our victor! He has overcome impossible odds by defeating an academy professor. Give a round of applause to this incredible rookie!"

Ash waved with one arm at the crowd of students, his other secured Pikachu.

Professor Oak was in awe.

'_How is this even possible?_ _Ash defeated a trainer with years upon years of experience, and on top of it all…he had a type disadvantage.'_

Gary was seething with anger from his front row seat.

'_There's no way he beat a professor…he beat someone who's trained for years and years, and he's only had his Pokémon for 3 months? We'll settle this at school. I'll crush that loser in front of the whole student body if I have to!'_

At the top of the stands, Misty and Brock clapped and cheered.

"Take that Giovanni, you creep! Serves you right for treating your students like trash!"

"Misty, calm down! You're going to get us in trouble, and the school year hasn't even started!"

"Brock, shut up."

There were several reactions from students in the crowd.

"He's cute. I've gotta introduce myself"

"I saw him first, back off!"

"Forget the professor's! Let's get Ketchum to train us!"

"This kid is insane! He'll go far in school."

Giovanni never took his gaze off of Ash as he made his way on to the field, re called Nidoking, and then strode off of the field in anger.

The administrator and Oak made their way out on to the field to congratulate the young trainer.

"Well my boy that was an incredible victory! I see a bright future for you and your little friend. I see now why Professor Oak has taken a liking to you!"

Oak patted the teen on his shoulder.

"Amazing Ash, that's all I can say. You're an incredible trainer…you were born for this. I'd be glad to take responsibility for you. And as long as I am the head professor of it, you'll always be welcome in Entei Red!"

Ash smiled at the praise.

"Thank you both. Giovanni is incredibly strong; I can see why he's a professor at the academy. If it wasn't for that Static, I wouldn't have won."

The administrator looked at his wrist watch and his eyes widened.

"We're incredibly late! We need to set sail immediately."

He raised the microphone in his hand to his face.

"Students we are extremely behind schedule! I'd like you all to follow the nearest official near you to an exit, and we'll be boarding the ship within five minutes!"

The students cheered loudly as the separate groups made their way towards their exits.

The stadium was nearly empty as the administrator turned towards Ash and Professor Oak.

"Well, this is where we must go our separate ways I suppose. I wish the both of you the best of luck and a safe journey. Mister Ketchum, I'm very glad to have met you today my boy. Don't ever forget to approach each battle like the one you had today."

Ash nodded at the older man.

"I won't sir. Thank you, and goodbye."

He and Professor Oak both shook the administrator's hand, and then made their way to the exit.

The teen and the professor walked side by side down the dock towards the ship.

"Well Ash, you're on your way."

"Sure am, and it's all because of Pikachu."

He looked down at the exhausted rodent and smiled.

"Thanks buddy."

Pikachu smiled and nodded, and then closed its eyes as exhaustion over took it.

The pair made their way on to the ship, and let the crew know that they were the final two to board.

Oak looked at Ash.

"It should take about a day to sail to the archipelago. Each cabin has two bunk beds, so every student should be accommodated. Go find a good cabin!"

Ash nodded.

The professor waved and began to walk away, down the deck of the ship and out of sight.

Ash looked around the deck of the ship, there were students everywhere you looked, all doing different things to entertain themselves.

Some students were reading their copies of the academies brochure.

The prettier girls were trying to sun tan on the area of the deck with the most sun.

Several groups were chatting amongst themselves about the school and Ash's victory.

The ship pulled out of the dock, and set off on its course.

Ash made his way across the deck of the ship, exploring.

He had several students cheer for him as he passed by.

The males would give him a thumbs up or a pat on the shoulder.

The girls would approach him awkwardly to ask if he had a girlfriend, until another would butt in to try their luck with the student celebrity.

Some would inspect his Pikachu, much to the little mouse's annoyance.

Ash just politely greeted his fellow students as he made his way across the deck to the back of the ship.

Pikachu crawled on to his shoulder as Ash leaned on the rail and looked over the ocean.

"I'm really proud of how you did today Pikachu."

"Pika." (I know.)

Ash shook his head and smiled at his partner.

"You're so cocky."

"Pika, pikachu. Pi pi, pikachu." (I know. But you love me for it.)

Ash smirked at his Pokémon.

Together, the pair looked off into the distance, as Kanto became farther and farther away.

But in their hearts they both knew, they were getting closer and closer to their destiny.

**So yeah, that's chapter two. I realize I'm a bit late in my upload, but give me a break, I'm only human!**

**Sorry this chapter isn't as long as the first, but I think almost every chapter is going to be around this length from now on. Chapter one was an exception because of all the necessary preparation.**

**Once again I'd like to thank everybody that reviewed. You made my day with your positive feedback, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you!**

**Anyway I hope this chapter didn't disappoint.**

**I'll see you all at chapter three.**

**Have a good week everybody. Peace!**


	3. Cruising The Ocean! A New Journey!

**Heya.**

**Welcome back to chapter three.**

**I'd like to apologize for my absence for the last 2-3 weeks; I've been dealing with a fractured wrist while finishing this up. But I'm definitely off of my "hiatus".**

**This chapter will be a bit shorter than the first two, I was desperately trying to crank it out to give you guys something to read, so don't hold it against me.**

**I'd like to thank everybody that reviewed; your positive feedback pushed me to get this chapter out to you all that much faster.**

**Somebody cited that the story kind of reminds them of Yugioh-GX but with Pok****émon. I seriously have just noticed this resemblance, as I honestly never watched that far into the series. Besides the whole "School for Pokémon" thing, I promise you, the story will be completely different compared to however the GX storyline went.**

**If any of you have been bored with how things have turned out, hopefully things will start to pick up next chapter. This chapter is going to have to be a little slow, you know how it is, still setting up our introductions and whatnot.**

**So let's get on with chapter three.**

**I do not own the Pokémon franchise, the characters and locations in this story are the property of Nintendo. This storyline however is my own!**

**The Ocean – Academy Ship – September 1****st**

Ash stayed on the backside of the ship, leaning against the rail and gazing over the ocean for a while before he decided to explore the ship more.

It was halfway through the afternoon, and the students were enjoying the nice weather out on the deck everywhere you looked.

The barrage of students continued as Ash continually greeted the eager teens as they approached him.

This went on and on through the rest of the afternoon until just before 6:00 PM. Each encounter drained Ash more and more, until he barely had enough strength to greet his admirers.

Several first year girls approached the raven haired trainer and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Hi Ash!"

"Hey there Ash, cool battle against Giovanni!"

"Congrats on the win cutie!"

Ash groaned.

"Ugh…hi. Thanks, it was nothing…"

"Come have dinner with us in the dining hall! It's almost time for dinner!"

Ash sighed.

"Fine…"

The trio of girls squealed and began to pull Ash's arms to drag him off, much to the raven haired trainer's displeasure.

The trainer and his Pokémon were too tired to fight off the group as they dragged him along.

"Hey, leave him alone!"

From behind Ash came an orange haired girl and her dark skinned companion.

The trio of first years stood defiant.

"And if we don't? What are you going to do about it?"

The look in the orange haired female's eyes made the first years shudder and back away slowly, before turning around completely and running away in fear.

The angry female turned to Ash and smiled.

"Hi! I'm Misty. Figured you could use some help with the brats!"

Ash smiled tiredly at his new acquaintance.

"Thanks a lot. I just don't have the energy to entertain them anymore…"

Misty smiled and then turned around to glare at her dark companion.

"Well? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

Her companion sighed and walked over to Ash and held out his hand.

"Hey, I'm Brock. Nice to meet you."

Ash smiled and shook Brock's outstretched hand.

"Likewise. Are you guys first years as well?"

They both shook their heads.

Misty decided to answer.

"No, we're second years."

Ash's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh cool! What group were you guys put in?"

Brock smiled at the curious teen.

"I'm in Entei Red, Misty is in Raikou Yellow."

Ash smiled at the realization he would know somebody in his group.

"Ah Brock, seems like we'll be in the same group. It's cool to actually know somebody that can show me the ropes."

Brock grinned.

"Sure! We'll have to room up together. I'll help you out!"

Misty frowned.

"Glad you guys are so buddy buddy now…while I'm going to be alone in Raikou Yellow."

Brock smiled sympathetically at his orange haired friend.

"Oh come on Misty! It's a brand new year; we're all bound to meet a bunch of new people."

Misty sighed.

"I guess you're right. But Ash, how aren't you a Suicune Blue with the battle skill you've got?"

"Well I was lucky that Professor Oak vouched for me in the first place, if Entei Red means I get into school, then I'll gladly go under Professor Oak."

Laughing was heard from a shaded area on the deck.

Leaning against the wall was Gary, his arms crossed over his chest as he laughed his head off.

"Hahaha! Oh man, this is just too much. I love how everyone tries to be friends with a loser just because he got lucky. Congrats Ash, you're the new flavor of the week."

Ash sighed at his rival as Pikachu began growling at the brown haired trainer.

"Gary, give it a rest. If you think the battle was a fluke, I'd be more than happy to settle this with a battle at the academy."

Gary smirked at the raven haired trainer.

"Bring it on Ketchum, I'll destroy y-"

"ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS! DINNER WILL BE SERVED IN THE DINING HALL IN TEN MINUTES! PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN BELOW DECK!"

Gary frowned at the loudspeakers interruption.

"Tch. We'll settle this little rivalry Ash, and I'll show everyone how much of an amateur trainer you really are! Later loser."

With that, Gary strode off away from the trio and disappeared down below deck.

Misty was the first to break the silence.

"What the heck is his problem?"

Ash sighed.

"It's a long story; I'll tell you guys while we eat. Let's go get some dinner, I'm starving."

The two second years nodded and followed their new friend down to the dining room.

While they ate, Ash told them the history between him and Gary.

After the meal, the trio relaxed on the deck of the ship. Since it had begun to get dark, fewer students were now on the deck, allowing breathing room for Ash and his companions.

As they lay on their backs looking at the sky, an official informed them that it was nearly 9:00 PM and that they should find a cabin for the night.

After making their way below deck and saying their goodbyes to Misty, who went to the female side of the ship, Brock and Ash began to knock on each cabin door they passed.

Door after door they knocked on was filled crazy first year boys that wanted Ash to tell them his secret to success.

Knowing they were never going to deal with that annoyance for the night, the pair continued until they reached a door like any other.

So, once again, they cringed and knocked.

They heard a shuffling inside the cabin, and the door opened to reveal an auburn haired boy with a blue and yellow cap secured to the top of his head.

He tiredly looked at the pair in the hallway.

"…Hey. You guy's need a room to stay in?"

Ash and Brock looked at each other and then back to the boy.

Ash decided to speak first.

"Yeah, you have room? It's just the pair of us."

The boy yawned and nodded.

"Yeah, come on in."

They followed the boy into the cabin, and watched as he climbed back into the bottom bunk they supposed he was asleep in before their knocking.

The boy with the hat yawned as he stretched out on the bed.

"I'm Ritchie by the way."

"Nice to meet you Ritchie, I'm Brock."

"…Mhm…"

"And I'm Ash-"

"I already know who you are; you're the one who beat Giovanni. Nice job by the way, I've heard that he's a major jerk."

Ash's eyes widened for a second, before a grin made its way on to his face.

'_I like this kid.'_

Ritchie yawned again.

"We can talk more in the morning, for now…I just really wanna sleep. Night guys."

Ash and Brock both nodded at the exhausted teen.

"Night."

"Night Ritchie."

Ritchie nodded tiredly and was almost immediately back to snoring.

Ash chuckled lightly as Brock crawled up on to the top bunk that Ritchie was asleep under.

"This'll give you your pick of the top or bottom Ash."

Ash nodded gratefully.

"Alright, thanks Brock. Night."

"Good night, night Pikachu."

Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and made its way over to the bottom bunk opposite of Brock and Ritchie.

Ash set down his back pack and lay down on the bed.

It wasn't long before sleep began to overtake Ash, and he soon lost consciousness.

**The Ocean – Academy Ship – Ten hours later**

Ash slowly opened his eyes as he took in his surroundings and remembered last night.

He looked over to Ritchie, who was sitting on his bed reading his academy brochure.

Ritchie looked over at Ash as he felt his gaze on him.

"Yo."

Ash smiled.

"Hey, morning."

Ritchie nodded.

"Brock is still sleeping, I figured I'd let you guys sleep."

"Thanks, by the way…what group were you put in?"

Ritchie scratched the back of his head as he yawned.

"I got put into Entei, and yourself?"

Ash grinned.

"Same as you, Entei. Brock got placed in Entei as well."

Ritchie chuckled.

"Great, so we're a trio of slackers. How did you manage to get into Entei with the skills you pulled off against Giovanni?"

Ash sighed.

"I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for Professor Oak. He allowed me into Entei Red and took responsibility for me not having my papers."

Ritchie nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard that Oak is a pretty reasonable guy."

Ash smiled.

"He sure is. We should get Brock up and head out for some breakfast."

Ritchie patted his stomach and nodded.

Yo Brock! Time to get up, we're going to head out and get some breakfast!"

Brock spun around in his slumber and then looked tiredly at the two other human occupants in the room.

"Hey guys…"

Ash waved at his dark skinned friend.

"Come on, we're gonna go grab some food."

Brock nodded tiredly, and after Ash awoke Pikachu (much to the yellow rodent's annoyance) the trio of trainers were on their way to the dining hall.

After getting their food, they spotted Misty eating at a nearby table, and they soon joined her. Ritchie was introduced to Misty, who was annoyed that she was the only non-Entei at the table.

Ash was still receiving a good amount of attention from the other students.

Most of the first year girls nervously looked over at the table to catch a glimpse of Ash, only to look away in fear of being spotted by Misty.

Gary sat in the corner of the dining hall glaring daggers at Ash's table.

'_Hmph, so Ashy boy has a few fans now, whatever.'_

The quartet finished their breakfast and made their way on to the deck to enjoy the morning.

It was 9:00 AM by the time they had gotten on to the deck.

Few students were around, as most were either eating breakfast or in their cabins. This gave the group breathing room as most of the people hadn't fully woken up yet.

About fifteen minutes after they had gotten on to the deck. One of the loudspeakers near them sounded off.

"ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS! IF YOU MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE FRONT OF THE SHIP YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE LEGENDARY ARCHIPELAGO! WE SHOULD BE DOCKING IN TWENTY TO THIRTY MINUTES SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS WHEN YOU LEAVE THE SHIP!"

Ritchie sighed at the announcement.

"It's about time; let's go see what this place looks like."

The others followed the auburn haired boy as he made his way up the deck to the front of the ship.

There were already a few students resting on the rail gazing at the chain of islands of in the distance.

The group of four made their way up to the very front of the ship and gazed out across the ocean to their destination.

Way off into the distance you could see the green rest on top of the blue.

Ash turned away from the rail and began walking, before turning back to the trio looking off into the distance.

"I'm going to get my bag."

Ritchie nodded and walked over to Ash.

"Yeah, I'll come too."

Brock and Misty nodded as well, before Misty spoke.

"Yeah, we both need our bags as well. We'll meet back here in about fifteen minutes alright?"

Ash nodded.

"Deal."

Ash, Brock and Ritchie set off towards their room while Misty made her way back to her cabin.

A little before fifteen minutes were up, the trio of boys made their way back to their meeting place at the front of the ship.

This area was filled with students now, there were teens everywhere you looked, pushing to try and get to the very front of the ship and get a preview of the island chain.

They spotted Misty pushing her way angrily through the crowd, before she spotted them as well and trudged her way over to them, knocking aside both boys and girls.

When she reached them she huffed.

"Can you believe the nerve of some people?"

Ash just chuckled.

"Yeah, some people…"

Both Ritchie and Brock snickered, causing Misty to glare at the group.

"And what do you two think is so funny?"

They both quieted immediately.

"Nothing!"

"Just remembering a good joke is all…"

Misty eyed them both suspiciously.

"Sure you were."

She turned to the front of the ship and then looked back.

"C'mon, let's get a good view!"

With Misty separating the clusters of students in the way, the group made their way to the front of the ship and took in the sights once more.

They were only about five minutes away from the island, and they could make out much more than they could before.

They were slowly approaching a large port. Two other gigantic ships were already docked, and Ash only assumed that they were unloading the Sinnoh, Johto or Hoenn students.

Past the port you could barely see a tall building off deeper in the island.

It was almost like a tower, reaching its way into the sky from below.

The other students gazed alongside the group of four as Ash and Pikachu both smirked while thinking of the oncoming challenges.

'_From here on out, things get serious.'_

The ship steadily cut through the water, and from the deck students looked into the crystal clear water and spotted a huge variation of Pokémon.

Magikarp, Mantine, Goldeen, Luvdisc, Finneon, Remoraid, Wailmer and even the occasional Gyarados and Wailord could be spotted in the water below, swimming along with the ship as it glided over the water.

Within five minutes the ship slowed down as it docked itself at one of the piers.

"ATTENTION STUDENTS! FOLLOW THE OFFICIAL NEAREST YOU TO THE BOARDING AND DOCKING AREA, AND WE'LL HAVE YOU ALL AT THE ACADEMY IN NO TIME!"

Several different officials yelled to the groups of students closest to them to follow, and all of the students followed their adult guides off of the boat and on to the pier.

Once the Kanto group was unloaded from the boat on to the dock, they followed the adults out of the port and inland towards the main academy complex.

The road inland was a wide cobblestone path, with lamp posts and bench's lining the side of the walkway. Occasionally the main path would branch off into smaller paths that led across the campus to separate facilities, like the dorms and training fields.

The huge group of students made their way along the large path following the adults. They passed a large fountain.

A large stone pillar stretched out of the middle of the large pool and into rose upward about ten feet, and on top of it sat a large platform.

On top of the platform sat a large stone Lapras, its head looking up towards the sky and a steady stream of water falling into the pool below from its mouth.

The students looked excitedly as they walked through the grounds of the school, taking in everything around them as their group was directed through the incredible grounds of the academy.

They passed through the enormous glass doors that made up the entrance to the academy, and the groups of Kanto Region natives were led through a large entrance hallway with many different sub hallways branching off across the building.

At the end of this hallway stood an enormous pair of doors, guarded by two separate adults on both sides.

As the group of students and adults approached, the officials in the group nodded to the ones watching the door, and the doors were slowly opened to accommodate the newly arrived group.

The enormous group of rookie trainers were led into the room ahead, a gigantic stadium.

The adults led the new group of arrivals to one of the four sets of stands in the stadium, and instructed the kids to find a seat somewhere in their section.

After Ash and his friends made their way up the stands and found a seat, the raven haired first year looked around the enormous room they sat in.

The seating for the stadium was split up into four areas, apparently one for each region, two of the other stands were filled with chattering students, and one was currently vacant. Adults stood on the ground level of the stadium, different officials and professors talking amongst each other.

For the next ten minutes, Ash chatted with his new friends and Pikachu.

Finally, the fourth group of students made their way into the stadium like room and took their seats in their area.

For the next few minutes the four groups of rookie students waited, and then finally, after almost twenty minutes of waiting, a small old man wearing a black suit and a backwards cap on his head made his way out on to the middle of the floor with a microphone in hand.

"First of all, I'd like to welcome back our second years, we hope you guys had a great summer. Second, I, Mr. Goodshow, principal of this great school…would like to welcome all of our first years, to the Legendary Academy!"

**Yeah. We'll end it there for now.**

**Umm... a few things.**

**Sorry again for making you guys wait so long for this. Having to wait almost a month is kind of ridiculous and I am truly sorry.**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; I had to will myself through my wrist injury to write so as not to disappoint.**

**Once again, you guys that reviewed are truly awesome, you were the ones I thought about while trying to get this chapter done.**

**I promise I'll have chapter four out in a much nicer fashion.**

**Until next time, laters.**


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